Cleaning pad with operating tip for small electronic devices

ABSTRACT

In a cleaning pad for a small apparatus such as a smart phone or a minicomputer including a touch screen for its operation, the cleaning pad comprises a carrier element of a rigid material provided with a pad of fleece or similar soft material for cleaning the touch screen and the carrier element is provided with an operating tip for touching the touch screen for operating the small apparatus.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a cleaning pad for display screens of small electronic devices combined with a tip for operating small devices such as smart phones, minicomputers, so-called PDA's and similar apparatus for the interactive communication of the user with the apparatus by way of the display screens.

Smart phones, PDA's and similar apparatus are operated by the user by touching switching areas of the display screen wherein, because of the small size of the apparatus and its display screen and, consequently, of the switching area, a thin pointed operating stick is used. Generally, the operating stick can be inserted on the side of the apparatus and again retrieved for use. Since the operating stick is a loose part however, it is easily lost for example, in that it may drop to the ground or it is left somewhere after use.

On the other hand, a more-or-less needed accessory of such an apparatus is a cleaning pad for cleaning the display screen which requires frequent cleaning to facilitate reading of the relatively small screen. The cleaning pad is generally attached to an ear of the apparatus via a thin card so that it cannot be lost.

It is the object of the present invention to simplify the handling of such an apparatus and to overcome the problem of losing the operating stick and, as a result, the chance of being unable to operate the apparatus.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In a cleaning pad for a small apparatus such as a smart phone or a minicomputer including a touch screen for its operation, the cleaning pad comprises a carrier element of a rigid material provided with a pad of fleece or similar soft material for cleaning the touch screen and the carrier element is provided with an operating tip for touching the touch screen to operate the small apparatus.

The operating arrangement according to the invention has the advantage that the somewhat annoying removal and re-insertion of the operating stick is no longer necessary so that the operation of the apparatus is simplified since the operator only needs to grasp the cleaning pad which preferably is attached to the apparatus via a cord and which is easier to grasp than the small operating stick normally provided and to contact with tip formed thereon the desired switching area of the screen of the apparatus.

The geometric shape of the cleaning pad is of no importance. Expediently, the operating tip is arranged at an end of the cleaning pad opposite the location where the cord is connected to the cleaning pad support body.

Below, a number of embodiments of the invention will be described in greater detail on the basis of the accompanying schematic drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 a is a top view of the cleaning pad in an oval shape connected via a cord to an electronic apparatus

FIG. 1 b is a side view of the cleaning pad,

FIGS. 2 to 5 show schematically various embodiments of the cleaning pad in different shapes, and

FIG. 6 shows the cleaning pad incorporated with an operating pin.

DESCRIPTION OF THE VARIOUS EMBODIMENTS

The FIGS. 1 a and 1 b show a cleaning pad with an integrated operating tip according to the invention in a top view (FIG. 1 a) and in a side view (FIG. 1 b). It comprises a carrier element 1 preferably of a rigid plastic material in the form of a plate with a planar or slightly curved shape on one side of which a fleece pad 2 is disposed preferably cemented to the carrier element 1. The carrier element 1, which in accordance with the FIG. 1 has an oval base shape, is provided at one end of the oval with an ear 3 to which a cord 5 is connected for attachment to an ear of a schematically shown smart phone or another similar apparatus. At the opposite end of the oval, the carrier element 1 is provided with a tip so that the cleaning pad can be used as operating stick for operating the apparatus.

The FIGS. 2 and 3 show schematically and only in an exemplary form further embodiments of cleaning pads 1, 2 with operating tips 4 in the shape of an equal-sided triangle (FIG. 2) wherein the triangle tip formed by the two equal legs forms an operating tip. The pad may also have the shape of a square (FIG. 3) or a rhomb with diagonally opposite corners, one provided with an ear 4 and the other forming an operating tip 4. FIG. 4 shows the cleaning pad in an oblong shape with the ear 3 and the operating tip formed at the two opposite small sides and FIG. 5 shows a circular shape of the cleaning pad with oppositely arranged ear 3 and operating tip 4.

The geometric shape is in principle freely selectable. Also decorative shapes may be selected, that is, the pad may be for example in the shape of a piglet or an elephant where the tail may be used for the attachment of the cord and the trunk may be in the form of an operating tip.

FIG. 6 shows a further embodiment wherein the carrier element 1 is not in the form of a plate but in the form of a rod 10 of a shape which is again freely selectable and which has a center area where a cleaning pad 2 is attached which may project from the carrier in all directions so that it is for example in the form of a ball with the carrier pin 10 extending centrally through the cleaning pad ball. At one end, the carrier pin 10 is provided with an ear 3 for the attachment of a cord and at the opposite end it is provided with a tip 4 serving as an apparatus operating tip.

The attachment of the cleaning pad provided with an operating tip via a cord to the apparatus is not necessary however. A user may not like his operating device to be connected to the apparatus. The invention is therefore not restricted to an arrangement where the cleaning pad is attached to an apparatus by a cord or in another way and consequently, the cleaning pad does not need to include an ear for the attachment of a cord. 

1. A cleaning pad for small apparatus such as smart phones, minicomputers etc., including touch screens for their operation, said cleaning pad comprising a carrier element (1, 10) of a rigid material, a pad (2) of a fleece material or a similar soft material attached to the carrier element (1, 10) for cleaning the touch screen and an operating tip (4) formed from the carrier element (1) for contacting the touch screen to operate the small apparatus.
 2. The cleaning pad according to claim 1, wherein the carrier element (1) is provided at a location remote from the operating tip (4) with an ear (3) for the attachment of a cord.
 3. The cleaning pad according to claim 1, wherein the carrier element (1) is a plate provided at one side thereof with the cleaning pad (2)
 4. The cleaning pad according to claim 1, wherein the carrier element (1) is a flat plate in the form of one of an oval, a triangular, a square and a round shape.
 5. The cleaning pad according to claim 4, wherein the tip 4 is formed at a corner of the carrier element (1).
 6. The cleaning pad according to claim 1, wherein the carrier element (1) is a rod (10) which extends centrally to the cleaning pad (2). 